The Awards

Supporting and encouraging youth innovation in STEM

The Youth Can Innovate Awards, proudly sponsored by the Gwyn Morgan & Patricia Trottier Foundation, recognize 16 projects selected by a team of judges at the annual Canada-Wide Science Fair. Outstanding self-nominated innovation projects, selected on the basis of ingenuity, originality, development and potential social and economic benefits, are celebrated and rewarded at the Canada-Wide Science Fair awards ceremony.

Senior Awards

Eight projects are selected to receive a $1,000 cash award, certificate and memento. Four of these Youth Can Innovate Award winners will also be selected to receive an additional cash prize of $7,000 each to assist with their post-secondary education. All eight winners will be included in a social media awareness campaign and outreach initiative to hometown news outlets.

Intermediate Awards

Four projects will each receive a $750 cash award, certificate and memento.

Junior Awards

Four projects will each receive a $500 cash award, certificate and memento.

Gwyn & Patricia with the 2017 award winners

The Youth Can Innovate Awards are only open to students selected to compete at the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Students can self-nominate their projects when they register on the Canada-Wide Science Fair website.

The Canada-Wide Science Fair is a week-long, national event held every May since 1962. It brings together 500 top Grade 7-12/Cégep students with 400 projects from every province and territory to compete for medals, cash prizes, scholarships and exclusive opportunities. CWSF finalists are selected from approximately 25,000 young Canadians who present projects at over 100 regional science fairs across the country.

Established in 1962, Youth Science Canada engages Canadian youth in developing inquiry and critical thinking skills through science. It is Canada’s leading organization in the promotion of innovation and the celebration of excellence in youth science and technology. With over 500,000 kids doing STEM projects every year – about the same number of Canadian youth as are registered in minor hockey – the programs represent the largest extra-curricular youth STEM initiative in the country.